HR and Payroll Month in Review – November 2018: Saskatchewan

Minimum WageNov. 15: The Assembly tabled Private Member Bill 611 to phase in a $15 per hour minimum wage by 2022. Proposed timetable:

$12 on Jan. 1, 2019

$13 on Jan. 1, 2020

$14 on Jan. 1, 2021

$15 on Jan. 1, 2022.

Domestic ViolenceNov. 5: Sask. became the first province to table legislation allowing the police to disclose a person’s violent or abusive history to intimate partners who may be in danger. While applauded by law enforcement, Bill 141, aka “Clare’s Law” in honour of Clare Wood, a UK woman murdered by her partner with a hidden violent past, is highly objectionable to advocates of personal privacy.

Saskatchewan Pensions Fee Increases Taking Effect Jan. 1, 2019

Fee

Increase(s)

Annual Information Report filing fee per member

· From $7 to $10 per active member

· From $3.50 to $5 per retired or inactive member

AIR filing minimum fee

From $150 to $300

AIR filing maximum fee

From $15,000 to $30,000

Workplace SafetyNov.: After last year’s 15-year low, workplace fatalities have resurged at 37. That’s the annual average and 10 more than all of 2017. And the 2018 numbers count only fatalities thru Aug. 31. Leading causes of 2018 fatalities: occupational disease (38.7%) and motor vehicle incidents/aircraft.

Workers’ Compensation RatesJan. 1: The preliminary average rate for 2019 is $1.17 per $100 assessable payroll, 2¢ less than last year. But 57.5% of employers will actually pay more next year with only 42.5% getting a cut or the same rates. The 2019 rates complete the transition to the enhanced rate model first implemented in 2018.